Published:
July 19, 2024
About Honeysuckle Hotel
Laid-back venue with shaded waterfront seating offering creative bistro fare & cocktails.
Dine in
Takeout
Delivery
Service Options
Highlights
Great bar food
Great cocktails
Live music
Live performances
Sports
Offerings
Alcohol
Beer
Cocktails
Dancing
Food
Food at bar
Happy hour drinks
Hard liquor
Wine
Amenities
Restroom
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi
Crowd
Groups
Payments
Credit cards
Debit cards
NFC mobile payments
Accessibility
Wheelchair accessible entrance
Wheelchair accessible parking lot
Wheelchair accessible restroom
Wheelchair accessible seating
Dining_options
Seating
Atmosphere
Casual
Upscale
Planning
Accepts reservations
Parking
Free parking lot
Paid parking lot
Paid street parking
Difficult to find a space
Map
Honeysuckle Hotel Reviews
We booked for dinner for 6.30pm via the website as I knew it would be busy. ( Australia day) On arrival, we were upstairs, and it was very noisy with a function also there. I spoke to the doorman ( what a great man ) we were directed to the outside area on the eastern end of the verandah. Great location. Minimal noise, could not hear the band/singer who I found terrible ( but I am in my early sixties, that might be the reason) the place was very busy. I ordered our meals and drinks via the table QR code. It was perfect delivery to us in no time . Could not fault it. We always return when in Newy. Great place, but it does get busy.
- Sandra Fordham
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
We all had the same scotch fillet steak and it was beautiful. Large and cooked to perfection. Great atmosphere. A nice sunset helped. Service was very fast. We sat outside and was a warm April evening.
- Helen Watson
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
This place is huge!!
We reserved a table and enjoyed the evening waterside location, lighting and atmosphere.
There is the option of ordering from your table via QR code or go to the bar for your meal choice and this way, if you are Woolworths Staff Member (ALH), you receive a fabulous discount on your food and 5% off drinks!
- Emily Holm
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
This is a great spot to sit by the water and have a beer at the end of a sunny day!
Have had good food experiences here (fish and chips) and lacklustre ones (burger)
A very solid option, especially if your group is decent sized - nice big tables.
- Ian Holden
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
The true measure of a venue is what they do when something goes wrong and these guys handled it impeccably well. Just a simple issue with a wrong order for lunch. The young girl said no problem, gave us a free drink while we waited and had the correct meal delivered all with smile. Food was fantastic and it is in a great location. Highly recommended and we will be back.
- Melissa Hicks
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
The atmosphere was cool and hip.....but that's as far as it goes.....ordered a cocktail at happy hour to be told 10mins then told it would be 45mins. The ordering but QR code was simple and easy to use but once again the order took over an hour and only after 3 waitresses and a manager to investigate. When the food did come the pasta dish was cold and came out last.
- Michael
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Sunday lunchtime. The venue was quite busy but getting a drink from the bar took about 20 minutes and my very dry chicken salad took over an hour to get served even after chasing up a couple of times.
They need to get the staff sorted and the kitchen working better. Everyone else in our (birthday) party had their food served at completely different times over the course of an hour and just really not okay. Disaster.
- Teza McKenna
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Perfectly positioned on Newcastle Harbour this is one of Newys favourite venues. This used to be the old Wool sheds / Maritime storage and was derelict for decades before being beautifully renovated. Always good food and quality live music. Make sure you book in advance, very popular!!!
- Melissa Flannery
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Ordered a lobster Mornay and it was lobster with grilled cheese with a not-so-nice sauce on the side the salad was a pile of mixed leaves with 2 tomatoes. Was the worst lobster I've ever had. The beef salad was dry and lacked lustre, however, the natural oysters were delicious. The cocktails were yummy but quite a few of the staff seemed to be having a bit of a bad day.
The atmosphere was pretty good but I'd probably try somewhere else next time
- Amir Sharif
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Nice restaurant, tasty food and drinks. Just needs to elevate a bit the hospitality. Otherwise is a nice place to go. I was there today. Here are some photos from the food.
- Adarsh Rai
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Love the place and the vibes. Not too crowded. Can sit with friends and enjoy the view while having great food an drinks. ❤️
- Garry Chalmers
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Loved it. Location Location. Food is pub style with a half twist toward upmarket. The range of drinks on tap is unmatched in the area. Staff greet you as you arrive, offer assistance without prompting and are in my meager opinion, seem to be interested in the customer's experience.
The entertainment was NYC Elliots racing in front of the silos and a band of local seagulls who were eager to reduce the load of the dirty dishes waiting to be returned to the kitchen.
The seagulls were absolute masters in their timing, speed and planning. The satisfaction of their successful sortie dribbled from their cheeks to their breasts. So it got me thinking about their relationship with Honeysuckle Hotel, who I imagine have slightly different KPIs to their resident aerial dish divers. Keeping in mind that we're all stewards of this wonderful planet, does the kitchen ensure that only seagull safe ingredients are used in the meals heading out to customers?
Are these pasta loving pilots protected from drastic measures?
Will the rapid plate clearing by these messy avian acrobats eventually impact on the customer experience?
Well I, as a customer, enjoyed the experience and happily gave 5 stars. Watching that band of plate bandits demolish a leftover bowl of pasta was like watching a queenslander in a bath full of peeled mangos. Although, somethings are perhaps better left as thoughts when you consider the reality of the clean up.
- Alister Hanley
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Located in a lovely spot on the waters edge is ths really nice pub. Atmosphere is great and I particularly like the outdoor eating area (watch out for seagulls though).
Really pleasant environment.
You can order from a menu at the counter or from QR reader on the table.
That's about where the really positives stop though.
Food (or at least ours)was quite average.
When the highlight is you $12 cheesy Turkish bread it's a shame.
Pasta was one dimensional and steak was overdone (ordered rare and got medium???).
Peppercorn sauce was split (watery) and calamari topper was flavourless and tough.
I guess what really annoys me is that when ordering from the table via QR, they have the ordacity to ask for a tip.
Tips are meant for good service and exceptional food after you have eaten.... NOT BEFORE!!!!
Service was ordinary and food was less than ordinary. Goodbye tips.
Save your money, there are better places to eat nearby.
Shame really. I had high hopes 😥
- Ali DR
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
I wouldn’t rate this place service even one star. Prior to make our reservation we called and told them the booking is for a work function and there will be an under age member, will that be ok. The person who made the reservation said it will be fine. Upon arriving our underage staff was refused by attending staff to allow her in and we were told that she must be accompanied by her guardian. We told her that we have asked prior to coming and this wasn’t addressed over the phone. Even their signage at the door is deceptive. It said “minors are allowed in this area as long as they are with a responsible adult!” They did not practice this! It’s either the staff who doesn’t know the difference between responsible adult vs guardian or it’s truly a deceptive advertisement.
- Bridget Cleary
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
I visited on a Friday afternoon at around 4:30pm with two others. It wasn't too busy and we got a nice table by the water with a great view. We ordered some drinks, coffee, chips ($9) and oven-baked Turkish bread ($9). The drinks were nice and good value, the vodka raspberry was especially good. The chips weren't the best but the delicious Turkish bread made up for it. I liked that we could order our drinks from our phones, but it would've been good if we could order food as well. The service was friendly but not very fast. Overall, I highly recommend for the good vibes and views.
- Flywith Dinh
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
It was a busy and lovely day and the food was amazing. $35 for the seafood platter which was a very popular item.
the seafood was decent for that price. We also had the calamari which was superb.
cocktails were beautiful, the espresso Martini went down great.
Nice table by the water so it was refreshing to sit and relax with good food.
- Patrick
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Incompetent.
Online ordering doesn't change over at the right time.
Staff slow, terrible.
Many menu items unavailable.
Cocktail ordered at the bar can't be delivered to the table but can be of ordered through the app....
There has to be better places than this.
- Selvaraj Sankaran
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Honeysuckle Restaurant offers fantastic food and a lovely atmosphere. The peri peri grilled chicken burger was a highlight—perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a delicious meal!
- CarolAnn Harstedt
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Had lunch on the waterfront. Lovely relaxed vibe. Pizza and sweet potato chips were very yummy!
- Lochlan Stuhne-Scott
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Great spot for an early drink and feed. Can see how you'd want to book at peak times or turn up early with a group to secure prime seating. On an average looking day it was still pretty busy which gave the place a great atmosphere, definitely became a bit of a "yeah the boys" by lunchtime.
Cocktail jugs were good, food was delicious, and service was super quick when getting in there at 11am for an early feed. Had the Godfather Schnitty which was a great feed to start a day of drinking. Perfectly cooked, crispy schnitty topped with an abundance of cheese, mixed meats*, and bbq sauce. Good selection of beers and spirits available over the bar.
*I reckon I saw/tasted bacon, brisket, pepperoni, meatballs, and maybe some ham. It was all deliciously thrown together.
Have been here before for a quick drink without food; will be here again. As one of the earliest opening places for us sickly day-drinkers, it is 100% a winner.
$40-60 spend includes a huge lunch, thirds in a cocktail jug, and two beers.
- Casey Williams
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Great pub but horrible security guard. Decided to refuse entry to 36 yr old international with a full beard due to no ID - outrageous. Venue was completely empty when we walked in so I guess this security guard enjoys costing the business money.
Staff were lovely, outside area on the water quite nice to sit at. Great spot for lunch, don't bother going after dark as the security is power drunk.
- Sandi Sena
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Great location right on the water. Tasty food. Fruit Tingle Jug of cocktail was delicious. Would go back. Spiced squid had a delicious sauce. Fish and chips was with barramundi.
- Luke Batiste
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Great dinner on the water with excellent live music and a fun vibe! Would be great for sundowners in summer or a nice lunch in town. Will definitely return!
- Holly Corpe
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Good for big groups. This is mostly a high turnover gastro pub. Lots of seafood and traditional classics. The outdoor seating area is premium on a nice day. They have heaps of tables inside and out and will take bookings. You can buy drinks using the QR code on your table but service can be slow when it's busy.
Small sports betting area at one end of the pub.
- Matt Y
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Excellent little pub with a great selection of food. We had the oysters, lamb cutlets and seafood platter, all of which were great.
Shout out the staff on duty for the evening shift tonight. They were so accommodating and pleasant to deal with! We'll definitely be back.
- Julie Beattie
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
Came with a group of 18 people with a booking for dinner Saturday night of the June long weekend.
So disappointed to find a problem with our booked tables.
There is no way 18 people weee going to be seated in the tables provided … after bringing up the issue to staff, the girl just kept bringing us more stools to fit us all. We would have been sitting like sardines trying to eat our meals.
Staff did not rectify our issue at all she simply didn’t return .
A member of our party ended up finding some spare tables ( outside where it was colder) and we joined a few tables together ourselves so that our party could at least order some food and eat.
A bad start to what could have been a nice evening but ruined it for us.
Place was very busy , food was average .
I won’t be returning in the future.
- Aimee Stilo
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
came last night and very busy although a saturday night so understandable. i waited over an hour and a half for my meal which is crazy and when i asked about it the staff were confused and said they must have lost my docket so hadn’t even made it yet. not good service at all. drinks were nice though and thankful for the entertainment on tv and live music for the extensive wait.
- deb henderson
19 Fri 2024 at 03.26 pm
A wonderful venue on Newcastle Harbour. Close to light rail. Great choice of seating in and out, responsive staff and service, tasty food at very reasonable prices and a friendly atmosphere. Day or night, a venue that won't disappoint. Worth a visit.
- Shane Whiley